Transverse frame for rigid airships



oct;l 28, 1930. v C RlCHMQND ET AL 1,7 8Q,041

TRANSVERSE FRAME FOR RIGID AIRSHIPS Filed oct.. 23, 1924' 2 Sheets-Sheer 1 MWL/M;

Oct. 28, 14930. v. C RICHMOND ET AL 1,780,041

TRANSVERSE FRAME FOR RIGID AIRSHIPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed oct. 25, 1924 Y imposed on these transverse wires when there Patented `Oct.28, 1930 VINCENT CRANE RICHMOND, or HARnoW-oNmHE-Hrnn-,AND .GEORGEAHERBERT "SCOTT,

or PURLEY, ENGLAND;

TRANsvERsE FRAME non nien). msnrrs v Application 11ed'O-ctoher'23, 1924, Serial Nm 7456`141gr'5anllnvGreat-Britain (.)Ctolier 3p, 1923.rk v Y As at present Constructedfthe main transversev frames of rigid airships consist of a' y'series'of girdersarranged in the form of a polygon and'crossbraced with ya large number of wires.. Owing tothe forces which are is a difference of Ypressure between two adj acent gasbags, very Considerable stresses are imposed by the wires on the kgirder's of the transverse frame. It the wires are initially lstressed (as isv inevitable) before any gasbag pressure comes on to themthe ultimatetenvsion set up in thewiresby the gasbag presf sure isvery considerable, and hence it would be of great advantage if a certain amount of initialV slaclrness couldbe allowed in these s v wires, which would then cease to act as cross braces and would lmerely serve to prevent rapid surging movements of the'gas in the airship andv also to prevent large pressures on clined. According to the the nose or tail when the airship becomes inpresent l invention the transverse frame is so constructed that it is not obliged to relyon the transverse -wiring to resist distortion under the forces which are normally applied to it'but suchI frame is selfsupporting, and consequently such transverse wiring could intially be slack with the advantages above described. Y

For this purpose the transverse; frames or some of them are in the form of a continuous Y .Y trussed structure preferably of triangular or prismatic cross section, and if the point of minimum bending moment is at the highest point of the frame, this structure may be ofl decreasing rigidity or cross section from the J lowest point in either direction towards the top ofthe frame.

For example, in the construction of trans'- verse frame y,illustrated in side and end ele-v vation respectively.y in Fig'sQl and 2 ofthe accompanying drawings, the bottom halt ofthe frame 1s b'uilt'up to form a lstiff crescentv shaped cradle ,of triangular cross section o f a vdepth and width decreasing 4from a Ina-X1- Y mum at the bottom in either direction towards the top. The frame may be regarded as com- Y posedfof awcontinuous seriesvof units of triany y guiar orwedge-form,-the base-members of rpointl the side members B have maximum llength :The angular points of successive pairs oside membersv areA connected a' ridge member G5 and" thel several members may be fcrosssbraced :asb'y.tensioneddiagonal c wires Dor by di'agonal'strutsE Withwsuch structure vforthelower half ofthe frame, the

top half may be quite light and may consist ed a'sshown'iii'lFig. 1 simplyof a seriesvo'f simple rods connectedin' a semi-circle;v theaction of' the gas pressure tending to maintain thjenorf` mal conignrationfofthis part of the frame.

frThe?previsioniofa strong cradlesuch as the bottom'half 'of the truss frameV above describedhas'tliefadditional incidental advantagey yofrbeing suitable forccarrying, staticloads;` suchV as-fuel, water b'allastfetc-.iwhich can be more economically carried vin thisrnan-A ner fthfanifthey* were Qdis'tributed along" a longitudinal keel, which latter is eliminated' c byftheconstruction? oftransverser frameuwac colliding tcthisV invention. Fulrther,r `the framescan-beused as'gas-.tru-nks andalsofas f p'as'sages'ifor the use of theVV crew j 'i' ij 5ffl,n-thefmodiiied construction of Figs;A 3 and Y y 45,"thelimbs ofthe c-res'cent-shapeltrussed v structure' extendy tothe top f of the fraines'and yisidentical witlmthat ofFigsfl and 2. j tV TvTn" either of these constructions'ithe 1depth ofthe' lframe finay be Yvaried asfshown; whiley 35 thewidthofthesameremainslcqnstantg "l*lternativelythe frame may be'ofuniforin l Suche frameA isshown inFigsff and 6, in which ytht;same yreferencecharacters' are -applied to the .several-members ofthe. structure as are usedwithrespectxto .the correspondin'g membersin Figslf,andlbothathe widthland` Y depthSareronstantj:' f Asia uithera'lternativa 'the Lividth Ifofnthe' framegstructure i may 'be fue tion,V

It has been proposed, in rigid airships having main wheel-like transverse frames conunited by Speripheral longitudinal Wires and prising a trussed structure of prismatic cross section and of decreasing width and depth in either direction from the lowest point of the frame towards the top thereof.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this s ecification.

, voies fr CRANE RICHMOND.

l GEORGE HERBERT SCOTT.

braced by tensioned radial spokes attached to a central boom, to use additional radial wires without tension and in'conical arrangement to take the pressure of the gasbags.

It has 'also been proposed, in such rigid a1rand in rigid airships having main Wheel-like transversel frames connected by eripheral rigid longitudinal members and raced by tensioned radial spokes, to use rims formed of triangular or rprismatic cross section. But the,l arrangements just referred to are notadapted to resist distortion in use Withoutk the 'tensioned wire spokesjand therefore ane not included in the present inven- Slack wires H may extend across vthe space enclosed within the periphery of the transverse frame and be connected with said frame to prevent ra id surging movements ofv the gas in the gas ags between said wires andto prevent large pressures of gas on the nose and tail of the airship when the airship is in inclined osition. a y p Havmg thus described the nature of said invention and the best means we know of carrying thesame into practical eiect, we

i V1. A A rigid airshjp frame comprising a pluralit of transverse frames connected tofon'e an er by rigid eripheral longitudinal members, each of said transverse frames com.- prising a trussed structure of prismatic cross section and of decreasing rigidity fromthev lowest point of the frame towards the top thereofA1 a Y n 2.k A rigid airship frame comprising a pluralit of transverse frames connected to one anot er `by rigid peripheral longitudinal members, each of said transverse frames comprsing atrussed structure of prismatic cross section and of decreasingV widthy in either -l direction fromthe lowest point of the frame towards the top thereof.

3t A rigid airship frame comprisin a pluralit of transverse frames connecte to one allot 'er by rigid peripheral longitudinal members, each of saidv transverse frames comprising a trussed structure 0f 'priSmatic l i i 'i cross section and of decreasing depth in either direction from the lowest point of the irametowardsthe top thereof. v 4; rigid airshipframe comprising a pluralt: Ao transverse frames connected to one anot err by rigid peripheral longitudinal members.. each of said transverse frames ycom-k Y f 

